Thai Superstar, Superlek Kiatmoo9 was in an intriguing position after defeating former Bantamweight Muay Thai World Champion, Jonathan Haggerty, and claiming his belt in the first round of their highly anticipated bout at ONE 168: Denver a few weeks ago. As a multi-sport and multi-weight champion in the biggest martial arts promotion on the planet, fans were wildly speculating over what “The Kicking Machine’s” next challenge could possibly be.
Last week, ONE Championship CEO Chatri Sityodtong ended the rumors by announcing that Scottish “King Of The North”, Nico Carillo, would be the next man to face the Thai phenomenon. “I do think Nico Carillo is next for Superlek,” he said, “There are a lot of other fights. I’d like to see Superlek Vs Rodtang II. I think Nico has earned it next though. The world wants to see it.”
Nico is a clear and worthy challenger for a shot at the ONE Bantamweight Muay Thai Title and fans are sure to be in for a treat, but as the ONE Flyweight Kickboxing Champion and ONE Bantamweight Muay Thai Champion, Carillo isn’t the only adversary eager to challenge the pound-for-pound best striker on the planet. So, after we take a moment to reflect on why Superlek Vs Carillo is a must-watch for all combat sports fans, we’ll explore the other potential matchups that may lie in store for “The Kicking Machine” after the dust has settled on the championship Muay Thai clash.
Defending His ONE Bantamweight Muay Thai Title Vs Nico Carillo
Superlek overcame an early barrage of Jonathan Haggerty’s most powerful strikes to land a crisp, counter-elbow to claim the ONE Bantamweight Muay Thai crown. If he’s not careful, his reign won’t last very long because the Scottish “King Of The North,” is ready to usurp the throne.
Nico Carillo towers over the Bantamweight division as an imposing presence who has won all four of his bouts on ONE by stoppage, including a second-round knockout over former champion, Nong-O Hama and, most recently, a TKO victory over Thai sensation, Saemapetch Fairtex.
Even though he has claimed that Superlek is the pound-for-pound best striker on the planet, Chatri isn’t certain that the Thai can overcome this monumental challenge.
“Nico is a giant bantamweight. I’m very curious to see how Superlek would handle that size and power. I think Superlek is on a different level technically, but Nico has power, size, and heart. These are dangerous things.”
Carillo is the reigning WMO World Champion and is riding the high of a 15-fight win streak heading into this clash with wins over legendary Thais including Muangthai, Seksan, Nong-O and Saemapetch on this run, Superlek better take the Scotsman seriously or the “King Of The North” may soon become the “King of the World”.
Defending His ONE Flyweight Kickboxing Title Vs Rodtang Jitmuangnon
Superlek last defended his Kickboxing title in January, when he faced Japanese prospect Takeru Segawa and, despite barely surviving a lengthy barrage of punches in round three, he was able to jab, knee and low kick his way to a unanimous points victory.
Now, Takeru has been relegated to third place in the ONE rankings and the man knocking on the door of the championship is his former Muay Thai adversary and ONE Flyweight Muay Thai World Champion, Rodtang Jitmuangnon.
Superlek claimed a narrow victory over “The Iron Man” in 2023; a win that was slightly tarnished by the fact that Superlek missed weight for the bout. Despite this, the three-round war was acclaimed as the ONE Muay Thai fight of the year and fans have been eagerly awaiting a rematch ever since, making this title defense a highly anticipated possibility for Superlek in the next few months.
Fighting For The Flyweight Muay Thai Title Vs Rodtang Jitmuangnon (Or An Eliminator Vs Denis Puric)
Superlek had his chance to claim the ONE Flyweight Muay Thai Title back in September 2023, when he fought Rodtang on Friday Fights 34. Despite winning the bout with a razor-close decision, he was ineligible to claim the title as he missed weight for the bout by almost five pounds.
Superlek still stands as the first contender in line to challenge “The Iron Man” for his belt, so a rematch and a chance to unify the ONE Flyweight striking division seems likely. However, right behind him in the rankings is the relentless Denis Puric.
Puric recently faced Rodtang under kickboxing rules, where he impressed fans with his ability to trade with Rodtang toe-to-toe, even taunting him as they traded hands in the middle of the cage. He was unsuccessful in this bout but proved himself a worthy challenger and a problem Superlek may have to overcome before getting another shot at Rodtang’s Flyweight Muay Thai Title. Given that he was able to laugh off even Rodtang’s most powerful strikes, Puric could pose a massive problem for “The Kicking Machine’s” aspirations to unify this division.
Fighting In The Bantamweight Kickboxing Division: Vs Haggerty, Ramazanov or Petchfergus
Superlek may have claimed Haggerty’s ONE Bantamweight Muay Thai Title, but the Englishman still retains his Bantamweight Kickboxing belt. After defeating Haggerty and claiming his Muay Thai title, the precedent has been set for Superlek to pursue Haggerty’s remaining belt but, two former division champions stand in the rankings waiting for their chance to reclaim the title.
Alaverdi Ramazanov and Petchtanong Petchfergus stand as fourth and third in the division respectively and a win over either man will put Superlek in the top five of the stacked ONE division and well in contention at a shot for the title.
Ramazanov is a relentless and unorthodox striker, who has beaten experienced Thai superstars such as Pongsiri and Capitan Petchyindee. Petchfergus is a veteran of over 400 fights and has already faced Superlek’s uncle and stablemate, Singdam Kiatmookao. He’s beaten both Ramazanov and #2 ranked contender, Hiroki Akimoto in recent bouts, making him the man to beat if Superlek wants to establish himself in this stacked division.
However, if Superlek’s recent win over Haggerty allows him to jump the queue and immediately challenge him for his remaining title, it is certain that both of these men, as well as Japanese, Hiroki Akimoto, and China’s, Wei Rui, all stand poised to challenge the winner.
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